And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou conquered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Thus far is identical with Job 1:1 (quod vide). The rest of the verse is additional, having reference to the conduct of Job under his earlier trials (Job 1:20-22). And still he holdeth fast his integrity. This has been justly called "the key-note of the whole book" (Cook). Satan had declared that Job's integrity rested on no solid basis, and would easily be overthrown and disappear. God, confident in his servant's faithfulness and truth, had allowed him to assail it. What was the result? God declares it with his own mouth. Job's "integrity" had not been wrested from him; he still maintained it (Job 1:21, Job 1:22), as he was about to do till the end (Job 42:1-6). Compare the ideal "just man" of Horace—
"Justum et tenacem propositi virum
Non civium ardor prava jubentium,
Non vultus instantis tyranny
Menta quatit solida, neque Anster,
Dux inquieti turbidus Hadriae ….
Si fractus illabatur orbis,
Impavidum ferient ruinae."
('Od.,' 3.3.)
Although thou movedst me against him (see Job 1:9-11), to destroy him; literally, to swallow him up; i.e. to ruin him, overwhelm him with calamities. Without cause; i.e. "when he had done nothing to deserve such treatment."